SEC

Time to put it all on the table. Dreams will be realized. Tears will be shed. Nick Saban will be sitting at home. This is Championship Week, where the best of the best come to play. Besides the ACC, nothing looks completely set in stone and any team could pull it out. Auburn is looking for its third straight miracle finish to take home the SEC crown, while the Big 10 just wants to prove all the critics wrong. Here’s what we’re watching this weekend:

Big 12 – Two games this weekend control the fate of the automatic bid for the Big 12. The first is the Bedlam Series between the Oklahoma schools. Win and OSU is in the title game. However, if they lose, the winner of the second game between Texas and Baylor will determine the Big 12 championship. Who doesn’t want to see Bryce Petty and Co. in the BCS?

SEC – Not surprisingly, the state of Alabama is represented in this one. The surprising thing is that it will be Auburn, not Alabama representing the west in the title game. Newcomer Missouri comes in from the east, even though they’re farther west than Auburn (and we thought the Big 10 was confusing). Winner of this one will be hoping for either an Ohio St or Florida St loss so they can sneak into the National Title game.

Pac 12 – Interesting stat about this matchup; its the only major conference championship game that isn’t played in a neutral location. That may prove to be the difference for the Sun Devils, as they are 7-0 at home this season and looking to redeem their sole Pac 12 loss at Stanford.

ACC – This could prove to be the most lopsided loss of the weekend by far. Duke is trying to convince critics that they can be a football school too, while Florida St is looking to make it one half of the first non-SEC title game in 7 years.

Big 10 – Old School Big 10 football v. The Flashy Spread Scheme of New. Defense v. Offense. Last season the championship had a big ole asterisk next to it, as third place Wisconsin had no business being in the game, yet dominated Nebraska along the way. Now that OSU is off of probation and the Legends Division presents a worthy opponent, there will be no need for any asterisk’s and we should be in for a treat.

Conference title games, or parts of them were set this week. Ohio St v. Michigan St is a sure fire thing for the Big 10. Arizona St. clinched their spot for the Pac 12 and Florida St did the same in the ACC. The SEC is still wide open though, as Missouri and South Carolina battle for one spot, while Auburn and Alabama face off in the Iron bowl for the other in the final week of football. Here’s what else we learned this week:

Change is Needed – Non conference football has gotten ridiculous. Alabama won by 49, Florida St dropped 80, and North Carolina played a ten minute quarter because Old Dominion was so embarrassed. It’s one thing in September, but never should games be this bad in Week 13. I can’t wait until it’s gone.

Title Dreams Crushed – Baylor was riding high all year as Cinderella in the fairy tale Disney movie that is college football. But on Saturday the clock struck midnight on their dreams to play for a national title game, as Oklahoma St. dismantled them. They still have one of the most exciting offenses and winning out will most likely put them in a BCS game, but it looks like they’ll have to settle for an at-large birth.

Iowa = Second Half Team? – Going into halftime with the Hawks down 14, I wanted to switch the game off and carry on with my life. I knew the script. We aren’t a second half team. There was no chance we were going to comeback. Then Kirk did something no one could have predicted. He made changes in the locker room and good ones too! The Hawks came out with a resurgence and knocked off Michigan and put themselves into contention for the Outback bowl with a win over Nebraska in the process.

Oregon Can’t Stand the Heat – The Pac 12 title game was given to them on a silver platter. All they had to do was take care of business in the desert. They couldn’t get anything going though and didn’t even stand a chance against the Wildcats. A season that was looking so promising just a few short weeks ago is now looking like a disappointment in Eugene. At least they have cool uniforms.

BARNEY STINSON LEGEN-WAIT FOR IT-DARY PLAY OF THE WEEK:

Barney Stinson follows a lot of “Bro Codes.”

“A bro will do anything he can to get to the end zone”

Technically that isn’t correct. The real Bro Code Article #85 states “A bro saves a bro from the friend zone.” But, close enough.

You know who follows the new, updated version of the Football Bro Code? Todd Gurley. He put the team on his back dude.

We talk a lot about legendary around here. We may or may not overuse it. But we do our best to once a week pick that one play you will remember for years. Or days. Hopefully you’ll remember it until next week.

At the end of the year we will (or will not) have a bracket style playoff of the Barney Stinson Most Legendary Play of the Year.. And you better believe Todd here will be in the running for champion.

Channeling is inner, not money taking Reggie Bush – Todd goes airborne, sacrificing his body and doing anything he can to get in to that end zone. Demetry James would be so proud.

*100th career Oh’s Knows post.. Seems like it was just yesterday. Double lucky!

The end of the season always brings big time games to the plate… well unless you’re in the top 3. On paper, Chattanooga, Alabama’s opponent, is 8-3. Then you realize that yeah, that’s in the FCS. Not good. Florida St may be playing just as bad of a team, as 1-9 Idaho comes into town. Looks like there will be plenty of time for another round of hangman on the Seminoles sidelines. Ohio St. at least has a conference game so it’s not exactly their fault the Big 10 is awful with Indiana coming into town. But alas, there are some decent games to keep you busy this weekend. Here’s what to watch in week 13:

Michigan v. Iowa – Expect a nice brisk game this Saturday when the Wolverines make an appearance at Kinnick Stadium, where they’ve played fairly poorly in recent years. It must have something to do with the pink locker room. Nevertheless, both teams have something to prove this week, which should make for a good game. The Hawks have a chance to go 8-4 this year and show that they’ve turned the corner from last year. On the other hand, what does Michigan have left to prove you ask? Oh yeah, just that they aren’t as terrible as they’ve looked in recent memory. Good luck with that. Go Hawks!

Minnesota v. Wisconsin – This could be the first time in umm ever, that both teams in this matchup are ranked. The Golden Gophers would love nothing more than to crush the BCS dreams of the rival Badgers, while those pesky Badgers want to prove that the Gophers aren’t actually as good as the record shows. Get ready for some good ole Big 10 football.

SEC Showdowns – Has there been a week this year that hasn’t had a fantastic SEC matchup. This week we are lucky enough to get two. It starts at 2:30, when A&M travels to Death Valley to take on LSU. Both of these teams could have just as easily been perched atop the division right now, but are instead battling to stay relevant. A loss for the Tigers would put them below .500, while an A&M loss would diminish the already slim chances for Johnny Football to get his 2nd Heisman. The other newcomer from the Big 12, Missouri, travels to Mississippi to take on, umm, what’s Ole Miss’ mascot again? Nevermind. Its not important. Anyways, Missouri needs to win out to take the division, whereas Ole Miss just wants to prove that they can contend with the top dogs of the SEC.

Arizona St v. UCLA – Big time Pac 12 South division (take notes Big 10; geography is key) implications. Win and you’re in for the Sun Devils. A loss, however, would set up a crazy three way scenario for rivalry week. UCLA and USC both need the Bruins to win so that they can continue to keep those ever so slim chances of a Pac 12 title game afloat.

Baylor v. Oklahoma St – This could be it. The Big 12 Championship could be determined this weekend. Grab your popcorn and a Bud and get ready for the best game of the weekend. The Bears travel to Stillwater to take on the Cowboys. A Baylor win will continue to solidify their status in the BCS standings and, barring a setback against UT, would give them the conference crown. Meanwhile, Oklahoma St. would also put the ball in their court (have basketball on my mind) for the conference title.

OH’S KNOWS’ THE STEVE LATTIMER GAME OF THE WEAK:

Pretty much laid it out for you. Stay away from the top teams in the nation this week. Be cultured. Watch some other games you may not watch. Don’t care if you roll tide or like potatoes. Alabama v Chattanooga and Florida State v Idaho should have no place at the table. For anyone.

Watch this clip instead. Tell me you aren’t jacked up and didn’t cry a single tear. And I’ll show you a liar.

Oh – and always, always remember. “The NCAA will be testing on Saturday.”

Corso claimed that he thinks Michigan could loss out, and Kirk didn’t disagree. That turned the Saturday into a win, even with the Hawks on a bye. The Wolverines somehow still came away with the win against Northwestern, who is terrible in their own regard, proving you can’t always trust a 78 year old man who has more energy than anyone else I know. Also in Big 10 play, the Spartans knocked off their last true test (sorry Minnesota) before the title game and the Buckeyes continued to beat everyone in their path, almost guaranteeing a showdown in Indy. For the non-Big 10 fans, here’s what we learned elsewhere:

Not Just A Basketball School – Your 2013 ACC Coastal division leaders are… the Duke Blue Devils. Take a moment. Let that sink in. Yes, the Blue Devils are the best team in their division for FOOTBALL. It’s hard to fathom that this team is for real, but the 48-30 trouncing of the Hurricanes proved that the road to Florida State’s title game hope could very well lead through Duke.

Auburn Believes in Miracles – The chances for a win looked very bleak for the Tigers as Aaron Murray had a Mike Winchell-esque TD run with less than 2 minutes to go to put the Bulldogs up by one. And they looked even more bleak for the Tigers when they faced a 4th and 18, with 30 seconds to play. That’s when the “Prayer in Jordan-Hare” was launched by Nick Marshall. Instead of just batting the ball down, two Bulldogs d-backs battled for the interception and tipped the ball right into Ricardo Louis’ hands with a clear path to the endzone in plain sight. The rest is history. Boy is the Iron Bowl going to be good.

Texas was Overmatched – The Longhorns looked like most people had thought they would all season. The hopes of an undefeated conference face off versus Baylor were crushed by the Cowboys, as they dismantled them, 38-13. Mack has to hope his team can pull off the win this week against Texas Tech, before an almost guaranteed loss against Baylor is ensured. It’s his only hope to actually hang onto this job.

USC Still Has a Chance – Ed O has his team believing, something Lane Kiffin could never do. After an upset win over the Cardinal, the Trojans still have a chance at the division title. If that’s the case, it may be hard for the team to look anywhere but to Coach O for the new head coaching job.

BARNEY STINSON LEGEN-WAIT FOR IT-DARY PLAY OF THE WEEK:

The War Eagles had a heck of a week. Heck of a play. Heck of a. But was it legendary? I mean.. It was more lucky, than legendary.

We’ve seen a lot this year. Back to back punt returns. One handed grabs. Crazy spin moves and dominating runs. Even a few defenses got in on the action. But what about some good old fashioned big hits?

Yes we know. You can’t hit anyone any more. Anywhere. There’s a strike zone, and it shrinks more and more every week. It’s hard to hit guys anymore without getting a penalty. Gone are the days of Bob Sanders crushing people. No more “Jacked Up” segments on Sunday NFL Countdown. Those were the days.

If you are a Jackass fan like myself, you’ve surely seen the skit where Johnny Knoxville went to USC practice and returned a few punts, err tried to return punts but instead got completely lit up – numerous times. Ouch.

But that’s why you call fair catch. Apparently they don’t teach that in the State of Mississippi. And we thank you Brandon Holloway, because if it wasn’t for your lack of common sense, we wouldn’t have seen Christion Jones completely lay you out. Legally. No flag on this play. No ejections. No whining. Just good old fashioned football.

It’s a violent sport. You’re going to get hit. Going to get crushed. So we thank you Christion for showing us just how to legally and legendarily hit some mofo who forgot to call a fair catch when 11 dudes are running down the field trying to kill him.

Disclaimer: There were no Brandon Holloway’s hurt in the making of this post.

In the words of Muse (still on my ACL high), this week, “some kind of madness has started to evolve.” Top teams fell left and right and there was a major shake-up in the SEC. Oh and some guy named Duzey almost helped the Hawks shock the world.

Famous Jaemis – This kid is for real. It wasn’t even a contest, as they absolutely dismantled the Tigers. Can Alabama lose already so we can set up a national title game/battle for the Heisman between Jameis Winston and his Noles versus Marcus Mariota and his Ducks. Boy would that be a game to see.

Favorites Fall – The SEC was madness on Saturday. Ole Miss toppled LSU, Auburn outscored A&M, Tennessee overpowered the Gamecocks, and Vanderbilt upset Georgia. Oh yeah, and they were by a combined 13 points! At the beginning of the year, many would have said Mizzou over Florida would have been an upset too. Now they’re happily positioned in the top 5 and control their destiny to the SEC title game.

New Look Big 12 – The top two teams in the conference; your Baylor Bears and Texas Tech Raiders. Read that sentence again. I promise there are no typos. No one would have predicted this at the beginning of the year as the Bears are in the top 10 for passing yards, rushing yards, points for, AND points against. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are 2nd in passing yards and 15th and 16th in points for and against, respectively. The next 3-4 weeks will decide the conference crown as the top 5 teams will have almost all have faced off.

Light at the End of the Tunnel – Yes our Hawks did lose this week, but would anyone have predicted they’d travel to the shoe and dominate the first half and hold a tie going into the 4th quarter. There are definitely still things to improve on, mainly stopped a quarterback from running 46 yards around the field to get a 10 yard gain and first down. A winnable game against the Wildcats at home awaits them this week.

THE BARNEY STINSON LEGEND-I HOPE YOU’RE NOT LACTOSE INTOLERANT-DARY PLAY OF THE WEEK

Boy. Was it a great weekend for College Football. I mean these are the weekends we live for right? Call the wife, tell her – listen babe, I’m not coming home tonight. Order another round and kick up your feet at the bar and watch the night games. Just a few more hours.

With all these great games, we had some great plays as well.

You had a few kickoff returns for touchdowns by the Baylor Bears. But.. They were playing Iowa State. That’s not that special. I mean they have a fiery coach – but sorry Cyclones fans, that’s not going to win you games. And it’s not gonna help your opponents earn a spot in the Barney Stinson Legendary play of the week.

Ohio State didn’t have many big plays, surprisingly enough, but Carlos Hyde did have a nice touchdown run breaking a handful of tackles against the Hawks this weekend. It was nice. But c’mon Hyde you shoulda been doing that all day long. Not this week.

Ole Miss had a big win and a nice pick. Jameis Winston is making it hard to not put him back in here. And some Stanford kid who apparently didn’t go to the school for academics made a heck of a one-handed grab. I even saw some guy make a pretty awesome two-handed catch this weekend. Do they still do that anymore?

None of those really do it for us you know.

The South Carolina v. Tennessee game – there we go! Jadeveon Clowney had some big hits this weekend – finally. But sorry Jadeveon, that didn’t help you win the game.

This kid Marquez North. Shoot. He had some big grabs! We are a sucker here for one-handed grabs. You know that. We know that. Your father knows that. But this one?! LEGENDARY.

Luck probably had something to do with it. Yeah – and Johnny Football is sticking around for 4 years of school.

The kid was covered. He was harassed. Tennessee needed a prayer answered. And not only did North answer it, he held on to it! Helping setting up the upset win for the Men’s Vols over the Gamecocks. Unbelievable. You don’t see catches like that everyday. And that’s why today, it is our Legen-wait for it-dary play of the week.

We didn’t catch much of the football that happened this weekend, which is probably why this is coming out later than usual, but there were some good games to be had and upsets coming out of nowhere. Here’s what we learned in Week 7:

The Cardinal Hangover – After beating a great Washington team last week and having this upcoming weekend’s matchup circled, as the UCLA Bruins come to town, the Cardinal forget that they had to play a game against Utah. The Utes weren’t caught by surprise, well unless you count them being surprised that they actually won. Either way, the Cardinal continue to live up to the big game spotlight, but always find a way to lose one or two throughout the year to keep themselves out of the title talk.

The Quack Attack – Give credit to the Huskies. They held on tight through three quarters to the faster and much more experienced Ducks. Once the fourth quarter came around though, they proved why they’re the best of the West, putting the ball in the endzone twice to seal the deal on their trip to Seattle.

Mack’s Still Here – I think everyone in the college football world, even Mack Brown himself, was surprised by this outcome. After last week’s sloppy, disappointing, questionable (I can go on and on) win over Iowa State, no one could have expected the Longhorns to travel up north to Dallas and pull out a win. However, that’s exactly what they did, quieting all the critics… at least for one more week.

Proving Their Worth – At the season halfway point, Missouri and Texas A&M are continuing to show how worthy of additions they are to the league. Missouri is undefeated and has a stifling defense to boot, while the Aggies only loss is to the Crimson Tide, a team they knocked off last year. So far this is the only good thing to show from conference realignment (no, definitely not Legends and Leaders).

Looking Ahead To The 8th Week, College Football

After a bye week, for both Iowa and us, we’re back to watching a weekend’s worth of football. Good news, looks like there are some great games to catch this weekend. Here’s what to watch in week 8:

Missouri v. Florida – The QB matchup looked a little different for this one when the schedule’s were announced at the beginning of the year. Both teams are onto their backups, as Missouri is looking to continue their magical run this year and showing their worth in the loaded SEC. Meanwhile, Florida is looking to remain relevant in the title game picture, where a loss would surely put them out of contention.

UCLA v. Stanford – Can Stanford redeem themselves after that horrendous showing last week? Only time will tell, but it won’t be any easier this week as UCLA looks to stay undefeated and set themselves up for a title game showdown against the Ducks.

Iowa v. Ohio St – Both teams were off last week and while that was a must needed rest for the Hawks, it won’t get any easier. Good news is that the defense still hasn’t allowed a rushing TD all year. Bad news is that even if they shut down Carlos Hyde, Braxton will still be able to light it up through the air. Here’s to praying that this one will actual remain a decent game.

Auburn v. Texas A&M – A&M has kind of flown under the radar after that loss to Alabama early in the year. All they’ve done since is continue to win and show that they can’t be forgotten about. Auburn meanwhile is looking to regain their form from the national title winning season.

Florida St. v. Clemson – The big one. What we’ve all been waiting for. Famous Jameis and the Seminoles are traveling to “Death Valley” to take on Tahj Boyd and the Tigers. This may be the best game we will be seeing the rest of the season as these two electric offenses face off. Winner of this one will have positioned themselves perfectly for the second half of the season and will be the unanimous choice for the #3 team in the nation, possibly even #2.

The Iowa bye week comes at a perfect time, because even if they were playing, we wouldn’t be watching it. That’s right, we’ll be at ACL all weekend! However, for those who aren’t at ACL this weekend enjoying the bands we’ve previewed and more, here are some games to catch:

Opposite Directions – This matchup between the Missouri Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs features two teams journeying in opposite directions. The Tigers are red hot and off to a 5-0 start. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, have gotten through the meat of their schedule unblemished. Now without their top 2 RBs and 3 WRs, they are trying to tread water to keep themselves afloat in the SEC title race.

Red River Shootout – If previous years are any indication, this actually won’t be a game. The reason this is a must watch game though is that it could be Mack Brown’s final game as the UT coach (you heard it hear first). He might have bought himself some time (and the refs) in that horrible win against Iowa St., but with a new AD coming in next year, this is probably his last Red River Shootout. Farewell Mack. Welcome Saban?

Offense or Defense? – The LSU Tigers and their high-powered offense host the Gators and their stellar defense in this weeks best SEC showdown. Florida is looking to start off a tough stretch with a W to stay unbeaten in the SEC, while LSU is looking to make up for their loss to the Bulldogs and keep their title hopes alive.

2nd Best in the Big 10 – A battle between the Buckeyes’ two most recent wins takes place this week as the Wildcats take on the Badgers. Both teams kept it close against OSU, but ultimately couldn’t pull off the W. If these teams want to have any shot at the Big 10 championship game, they better win this one… and pray for a miracle.

Gameday Meets the Emerald City – Washington proved there worth last week and if it wasn’t for a special teams blunder would have came away with the W. They better hope they can do it again because it doesn’t get any easier this week. The Oregon offense is high-flying and the Huskies will need to play a near perfect game in order to pull this one out.

Oh’s Knows’ The Steve Lattimer Game of the Weak:

THE SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS (1-4) at THE CONNECTICUT HUSKIES (0-4) – Where do we begin? UConn hasn’t won a game all year. But South Florida doesn’t even rank in the Top 100 for Passing, Rushing, Points for and against.. Wait what? Here, let me show you:

Devastating would be putting it lightly. There is no room at the table for this game. Not at my house. And there shouldn’t be room at your house. Am I saying you’re fat? I’m not, not saying that. Just stay away from this game.

Pop quiz: Who’s the worst team in the Florida? The Jacksonville Jaguars or the South Florida Bulls?

Trick question. If they played each other it might be difficult for either team to accidentally score and win.

Fair warning. Last week we told you stay as far away as possible from the Longhorns and Cyclones game. And it looks like the only people who got the memo were the refs in Ames. Not gonna lie – I watched that game. Not at my table. It was at the bar. And I broke a table because I couldn’t stop watching that terrible game.

We once played a game in Iowa. We lost. I don’t wanna talk about it.

I digress.

Back on topic. Just stay away. I heard it’s going to snow in Connecticut this weekend. I just made that up but just listen to me here and don’t watch this game. It is going to be ugly. Over/under for points is 41. I’m taking the under. The way under. Look for a total of 13.5 points in this game.

Just saying. When you do a drive by of this game and see two goose eggs on the scoreboard. Just remember I told you so.